The News
Beijing announced corruption investigations into two former defense ministers.
The unprecedented move, which included expelling both from the Communist Party, comes months after the abrupt dismissal of former Defense Minister Li Shangfu after he disappeared from public view for two months.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has ramped up his anti-graft drive, leading to a record number of corruption probes, and used it to purge political rivals, including within the armed forces: Over the past year, authorities have removed more than a dozen senior generals, many of them over alleged corruption.
“The gun barrel must always be grasped by people who are loyal and reliable to the party,” Xi said earlier this month.
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